Vehicle-tongue support.



No. 837,038. PATENTED NOV. 27', 1906. G. H. CHAPMAN.

VEHICLE TONGUE SUPPORT.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 1906.

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fl l zltnessa6 Inwezdvr I lll v CHARLES H. CHAPMAN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

VEHICLE-TONGUE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.

Application filed March 6, 1906. Serial No. 304,435.

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tongue Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle-tongue supports of that class by which the weight of the tongue is removed from the necks of the animale; and my object is to produce a simple and efficient attachment of this character by which the tongue can be supported in raised or inoperative position.

I/Vith this object in View and others, as hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front hounds and tongue of a vehicle equipped with a tongue-support attachment embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view with the tongue occupying an inoperative position.

Referring to the said drawings in detail, 1 indicates the hounds, and 2 the tongue pivoted to and between the hounds, as at 3.

The attachment is constructed as follows: 4 indicates a pair of hooks, which when in position, as shown, embrace the outer sides and upper and lower edges of the hounds at a oint rearward of the pivot 3, and projecting lnward from the upper portions of said hooks are bolt extensions 5, engaged by turnbuckle 6, the threads of the bolts and turnbuckle being of such character that when the latter is turned it will cause the hooks to move inward or outward, so as to diminish or increase the distance between them.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the upper portions of the hooks overlie the tongue rearward of its pivot, and thus prevent the front end of the tongue from sagging and imposing the weight thereof on the animals. Through the medium of the turnbuckle the hooks can be clamped sufficiently firm to guard against any possibility of slippage forward on the hounds; but in order to absolutely prevent such disarrangement of the hooks I secure upon the tongue near its opposite sides the plates 7, terminating at their rear ends in upwardly projecting flanges or shoulders 8, which bear against the front sides of the hooks. For a purpose which hereinafter appears the front ends of said plates are arched slightly, as at 9, and terminate in heads 10, preferably cylindrical, as shown.

11 indicates stiff spring-plates having their front ends terminating in downwardlydisposed hooks 12. Said plates rest upon the hooks 4 and are provided with longitudinal slots 13, engaging screw-bolts 14, extending up through the hooks 4, nuts 15 engaging said. screw-bolts and clamping plates 11 rigidly at the desired point upon said hooks 4. The plates 11 overlie plates 7 and terminate short of the front ends of the latter, so that when the tongue is grasped and swung upward the arched portions 9 of plates 7 will ride under hooks 12 and spring the plates thereof upward until the heads 10 pass behind the hooks 12, when the latter will spring downward and engage said heads, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, and hold the tongue elevated, as also shown in said lastnamed figure, so that the vehicle may be stored in a shorter shed or room than would be possible if the tongue projected straight forward.

\Vhen the team is to be hitched, it is placed in proper position at opposite sides of the vertical plane of the tongue, and the latter is grasped and drawn downward, the pull being sufficient to readily effect the withdrawal of the heads 10 from engagement with the hooks 12. The angle at which the tongue may be supported in its raised or inoperative position may be varied appreciably by a very slight longitudinal adjustment of plates 11, and for this reason said plates are provided with the longitudinal slots 13.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced attachments of the character described which embody the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and which are susceptible of minor changes without departing fromthe principle of construction involved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1's- 1. A tongue-support attachment for vehicles, comprising a pair of hooks having threaded stems, and a turnbuckle engaging said stems and adapted to cause the hooks to approach or recede from each other.

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2. The combination with a vehicle having hounds and a tongue ivoted thereto, of a tongue-support attac ment comprising a pair of hooks engaging the outer sides and uper and lower edges of the hounds and over ying the tongue rearward of its pivotal point and provided with threaded bolt extensions projecting from said overlying portions, and a turnbuckle engaging said bolt extensions.

3. The combination with a vehicle having hounds and'a tongue ivoted thereto, of a tongue support attac ment comprising a pair 01 hooks engaging the outer sides and uper .and lower edges of the hounds and overying the tongue rearward of its pivotal point and provided with threaded bolt extensions projecting from said overlying portions, a turnbuckle engaging said bolt extensions, and plates secured to the tongue and occupying the path of forward movement of said hooks to prevent the latter sliding forward on the hounds.

v4. The combination with a vehicle having hounds and a tongue ivoted thereto, of a tongue support attac ment comprising a pair of hooks engaging the outer sides and upper and lower edges of the hounds and overying the tongue rearward of its ivotal point and provided with threaded bo t extensions projecting from said overlying portions, a turnbuckle engaging said bolt extensions, and plates secured upon the tongue forward of the hooks and provided with shoulders at their rear ends engaging the front sides of said hooks.

5. The combination with a vehicle having hounds and a tongue pivoted thereto, 01' an attachment connecting and clamped to the hounds and overlying the tongue rearward of its pivotal point, a spring-plate secured to said attachment and terminating at its front end in a downwardly-disposed hook, and a plate secured to the tongue forward. of its pivotal point and provided with a headed portion above the tongue for engagement with the book of said spring-plate when the front end of the tongue is raised sufficiently high.

6. The combination wit-h a vehicle having hounds and a tongue pivoted thereto, of an attachment connecting and clamped to the hounds and overlying the tongue rearward of its pivotal point, a longitudinally-adjustable spring-plate secured to said attachment and having its front end terminating in a hook, and a plate secured to the tongue forward of its pivotal point and provided with a headed portion above the tongue for engagement with the hook of said spring-plate when the kflrlont end of the tongue is raised sufficiently h. 7. The combination with a vehicle having hounds and a tongue pivoted thereto, of an attachment connecting and clamped to the hounds and overlying the tongue rearward of its pivotal point, a spring-plate secured to said attachment and terminating at its front end in a downwardly-disposed hook, and a plate secured to the tongue forward of its pivotal point and provided with a headed portion above the tongue for engagement with the hook of said spring-plate when the front end of the tongue is raised sufiiciently high, and at its rear end in a shoulder in the path of forward movement of the attachment.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

H. C. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE. 

